1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fabrics and has particular, but not exclusive, reference to upholstered three-dimensional structures incorporating a first, knitted component and a second component, which may be a woven component.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The manufacture of upholstered three-dimensional structures is an extremely old technique. In one such known structure a fabric cover is stretched over a core to produce both an attractive and useful structure which is frequently some form of seat.
For many years the fabric covers used in such upholstered structures have always been of a woven nature. More recently proposals have been made to produce upholstered fabrics by knitting three-dimensional shapes which can be stretched over a support to form structures such as vehicle seats. An example of such a knitted structure can be found in UK Patent Application 223,034A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by way of reference. The present invention is concerned with the interconnection between such a knitted fabric structure and a woven fabric or vinyl component, which may be required to close off the base or back of the knitted structure to form a closed sack. A particular example of such a structure would be a woven seat back panel which would be sewn onto a knitted main seat back structure.